Forever Hold Your Peace
by krzed
Summary: It's Marinette's wedding day and Alya can't hold back her feelings any longer. (S2 Spoilers) Alyanette


Tears ran down Alya's face. But they weren't from joy.

"Ohmigod, Alya, this is happening! It's finally happening!" Marinette stood on a short stool, her arms out. Alya knelt next to her with a few pins in the corner of her mouth and her hands trailing over the hem of Marinette's broad, sparkling white wedding dress. "In a couple hours, I'll be Madame Marinette Agreste."

"You," Alya squawked. She cleared her throat and started again. "You sure you're not gonna do the hyphenated thing like your parents?"

Marinette leaned over and smiled. "Thought about it, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng-Agreste is too much of a mouthful." She straightened back up and turned so Alya could continue her inspection. "Marinette Agreste has a wonderful ring to it."

 _'So does Marinette Césaire. Or Alya Dupain-Cheng.'_

Alya clenched her trembling fist around the train on Marinette's dress. She shouldn't feel this way. This was her best friend, about to get married, about to share her life with the man she loved. Alya was happy with Nino. She _was_ happy with him. But...she didn't love him. Not like Marinette loved Adrien, and not like Alya loved...

"Alya, is something wrong?"

Alya squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push the thoughts and emotions down.

"Please, Alya talk to me." Marinette crouched down on the stool, lowered her face to Alya's.

Alya prided herself on her self control. Yes, she was impulsive at times, but when it really mattered, she could lock in and focus on her objective. She needed those qualities to deal with the spirit of the fox inside her. Trixx said she would take on the traits of a fox the longer she wore her Miraculous, but she never expected the whole 'scream in your soul mate's face' thing. So, for years, Alya had fought off the urge to scream. To scream at Marinette. But now, looking into those soft, blue eyes, Alya knew.

The fox finally won.

"I..I c-can't...

"Alya?"

She spat the pins from her mouth. _"I can't_ _take it anymore!"_

Marinette nearly fell of the stool when Alya tackled her into a tight embrace. Alya squeezed her arms around the girl's neck and wept, finally able to let go. Finally able to give a voice to the truth.

"I love you! That's what's wrong! I love you and you're about to get married and I can't just sit back and watch you give yourself to someone else! Someone who doesn't even love you!"

"Wha..." Alya pulled away and looked in on Marinette's dazed and confused face.

"That smarmy alley cat only loves you because you're Ladybug. Think, girl. He only showed interest in you _after_ he found out. But me," Alya sniffed back her tears, "I loved you from the day we met."

Alya pushed the tears away from her eyes and fixed Marinette with a glare that was equal parts angry and hurt. "I loved how kind you were, how open and honest and brave you were. And it hurt," Alya shoulders fell. "It hurt when I saw you fawning over Adrien, but I couldn't just tell you how I felt. At the time, it felt...unnatural. I didn't want to admit to myself I was gay. So I tried to distract myself by dating Nino and encouraging you, because–" she sniffed again "–I just wanted you to be happy, even if it wasn't with me."

She sighed. "I'm sorry it took seeing you in a wedding dress to make me admit what I felt for you. I'm sorry I hold these feelings of resentment towards the guy you love, but Mari..." Alya pressed a short, soft kiss to Marinette's lips. "I love you. I loved you before I found out you were Ladybug and loved you even more after, because it turned out my best friend, _both_ of my best friends, were the same incredible, inspiring..." Alya blushed "...b-beautiful girl."

Marinette could only gape at Alya's sincerity. A twinkling line of tears crawled from the corner of one eye. "Alya, I...I never knew. I'm so sorry."

Alya rubbed her arms against her eyes, knowing full well her makeup would be ruined. "It's okay, girl. I can't expect you to–"

"No, Alya." Marinette locked her hands around Alya's upper arms. "It's not okay. I should have noticed. I should have seen you looking at me the same way I look at Adrien. I should have seen how affectionate you are, how–" she giggled "–how okay you were with me resting my head against your boobs."

It was Alya's turn to smile. "Mari, that invitation is open to anyone."

They both giggled together, then fell silent, their tear-reddened eyes on each other. They slowly leaned closer.

"Alya, there's something I want to say, and I think I've been wanting to say it for years."

"Yeah?"

"Alya, I...I..."

Their lips brushed against each other. Alya could feel Marinette's breath mingle with hers.

"I swear to god, Nino!"

"Wha?"

Alya shook herself from her stupor and glanced up at Marinette, still standing on the stool but now with her phone to her ear.

"I swear, Nino, if the priest starts into the 'mawwiage' monologue from Princess Bride, I will punch that cat in the face! And you better be proofreading all the puns out of his vows!"

Alya was still on her knees, still had the pins in her mouth and her hands on the dress.

"Yeah, hold on a second." Marinette placed her hand over the phone and turned her head down to Alya. "Nino wants to know if...Alya, are you crying?"

It never happened. It was all just a dream. A fantasy than can never be true. She looked up into Marinette's tender concerned gaze and swore she would break again, swore she would confess just like in her dream. But she didn't. She couldn't. She _wouldn't_.

"Just," she sniffed and tried to blink the puffiness from her eyes, "just so happy for you girl."

Marinette smiled and Alya died inside. She saw nothing else save for the light pink lips she so desperately wanted to devour. She heard nothing else save for the deafening scream of the fox inside her. She kept her phone dutifully trained on the ceremony, on the happy couple though all she wanted was for Volpina to swoop in and steal the bride away.

"If anyone here has reason that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Alya bit down on her tongue hard enough to taste copper.

Tears ran down her face.

But they weren't from joy.


End file.
